Tournament Rules Updated

Changes to the IJF tournament rules are being considered and tested in international tournaments now. The changes affect the mat boundaries, eliminating the red danger zone. Contestants will be allowed to continue an attack after a competitor steps out of bounds as long as some part of a contestant is inside. More information.

New Kodokan Tenth Dans

Toshiro Daigo (80), Ichiro Abe (83), Yoshimi Osawa (79)
On January 8, 2006 the Kodokan promoted three new tenth dans. The promotions
were presented by Jigoro Kano's grandson at the Kagami Biraki (New Year's rice-cake
cutting ceremony) at the Kodokan. These are the most promotions to judan ever
made at one time, and the first to be made in 22 years. Here is some information
on each of the new Kodokan tenth dans:
Toshiro Daigo (b1926) -- Author of Kodokan
Judo: Throwing Techniques, and several other judo
textbooks. He has been the chief instructor at the Kodokan for many
years, manager of the Japanese Judo Team at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics,
an international referee, and he won the All Japan Judo Tournament
in 1951, 1952 and 1954. He had been a ninth dan since 1992.
Ichiro Abe -- Mr. Abe was international chairperson of the All Nippon Judo Federation. Mr. Abe is head of the Promotions Panel at the Kodokan, and also head of the International Division. He has travelled extensively in Europe, and is a former national coach of Belgium.
Yoshimi Osawa -- An international referee for many years, Mr. Osawa won the Fukuoka tournament in 1948. Osawa was a fabulous technician, in the eyes of some, the best ever. Despite being a lightweight, he was considered a true threat to win the All-Japan championships.

New Judo Stuff

Check out the new clothing
designs, gifts, and other Judo products at Do
Judo.com! Show pride in Judo by wearing a Judo t-shirt or sweatshirt today.

More Judo Humor

New Kosen Judo DVD

In the 1980's the Budokan of Japan produced a series of video tapes on all major Japanese martial arts. Kosen Judo (spelled Koshen on the tapes) was one of them. There were 4 tapes produced, 25 minutes each and you can now buy them on 2 DVD's at amazon.com. Many of the greatest masters are on it demonstrating their favorite moves on the ground. Kimura is one of them.

Online Judo Needs Your Support

The Judo Information Site and The Judo Forum depend on contributions from
readers. If you can help, now is the time to show your support. There are several Ways
You Can Help.

The Canon
of Judo by Kyuzo Mifune has been republished by popular demand in a
newly translated edition of this Judo classic by one of the most famous Judo
10th dans. This is an excellent 256 page book with lots of older techniques
not shown in other books, including ankle and knee locks. Originally published
in 1956 with an almost incomprehensible English translation, it has been
out of print for decades. Because it is a classic, the original printings
of the book are selling for as much as $1000. Although a lot can be learned
just from the photos, the text is not at all helpful in the old edition.
With the new translation and the original photos it is a must-have book
for any Judo library. Orders can be placed now from Amazon.com for
less than $25.

Judo Throw Saves Man From Bold Bear

MATSUMOTO, Nagano -- A man used a judo throw to scare off a bear that
attacked him while he was picking mushrooms on a Nagano Prefecture mountain
Monday afternoon, police said Tuesday.

At around 3:50 p.m., Keiichi Yamaguchi, 63, a resident of Matsuda, Kanagawa
Prefecture, was picking mushrooms on a mountain in Omachi, Nagano Prefecture,
when an Asiatic black bear suddenly attacked him, police said.

The bear bit Yamaguchi on the hand and left thigh and he responded by
hitting it on the nose and in the stomach. When he used a judo technique
to hurl the bear, it ran away from the scene. The bear was about 170
centimeters long, police said.

Yamaguchi said his injuries are not serious, but he intends to receive
medical treatment at a local hospital. (Compiled from Mainichi and wire
reports, Japan, Aug. 19, 2003)

Judo Info in Class

Dennis Trebble, Judo coach, is shown in this photo teaching students
at Merchant Taylors' School in the
UK with the help of an internet connection to the Judo Information Site.
"The session went extremely well with a combination of normal teaching
practices and the use of JudoInfo.com". Dennis has suggested to all
his kids that the Judo Information Site is undoubtedly the best Judo site
in the world. This is an example of a how to utilize innovative teaching
techniques incorporating state-of-the-art web technology, while bringing
the Judo world closer together.

Millions
More Learn About Judo!

The
Judo Information Site has continued to see tremendous growth this year
with 6.3 million visitors since January 2000, adding to the 1 million
visitors last century. We appreciate your visits, and will keep working
to improve the site and promote Judo around the world. Number one on
Google, and the most Awarded web site online,
the Judo Information Site continues to be the most popular way to promote
Judo in the world.

How About a Book on Judo?

Russian President Vladimir Putin executes a throw on a Japanese Judo student during a visit to a Sports Center in Gushikawa, Okinawa, Japan, July 23, 2000. He then allowed himself to be thrown onto the mat. After concluding a final round of talks with other world leaders on global issues, Putin visited the sports center and removed his jacket and shoes for light matches with several Gushikawa students. Putin, 47, told the assembled young Judo fans to persevere with their sport because it brought people together.

Did you know?

Judo is usually one of the first Olympic events to sell out of tickets
because of its worldwide popularity. There are 202 member nations in the
International Olympic Committee, and 187 of them are members of the International
Judo Federation.

The Red and White Judo tournament was started by Jigoro Kano in 1884 and continues today as one of the longest running sports events in the world, predating the Modern Olympic Games by 12 years.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, Judo is the safest contact sport for children under age 13.

According to the International Judo Federation (IJF), Judo is the most
widely practiced martial art in the world.

Traditionally, Judo has the highest
level of international participation of any Olympic Sport with approximately
70 countries entered. Currently, there
are 187 member National Federations in the IJF, and approximately 100
countries that participate at the World Championships.

The global nature of judo today is revealed by the number of countries
with truly world-class athletes. More than 45 different countries have earned
Olympic medals in judo, and 31 different countries have champions who have
won gold medals in either the Olympics or World Championships.

U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell was captain of the 1964 US Olympic Judo Team.

Actress Hillary Wolf (Home Alone I and II) was a Judo Olympian for the USA, and actor James Cagney was a black belt in Judo.

President Theodore Roosevelt became a brown belt in Judo during his
administration and built a small dojo in the White House. Ulysses S.
Grant was the first American President to observe a Jujutsu demonstration with Jigoro Kano in 1879.

William Hague, leader of the Conservative Party in the UK, also practices Judo at the Budokwai in London.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, a high ranking black belt, said his
favorite Judo techniques are tsuri-komi-goshi and tai-otoshi. Here is a
quick video
clip of him on the mat performing a throw, and here is his new book, Judo:
History, Theory, Practice.

Lots of Judo Email

There is a mailing list for the discussion of Judo by email. You can
subscribe by sending a message to "LISTSERV@UCONNVM.UCONN.EDU",
with a message that reads: "SUBSCRIBE JUDO-L firstname lastname"
or visiting this web
page. There is also a jujutsu mailing list that includes some Judo
discussion. You can subscribe by sending a message to "LISTSERV@PSUVM.PSU.EDU",
with a message that reads: "SUBSCRIBE JUJUTSU your_name".

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